5 rules for unincorporated Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Chesterfield County does not run municipal trash pickup; residential garbage is handled by private haulers you contract with. The county's role is property maintenance: it can require accumulated trash, refuse, and debris to be removed and bill the owner.
Chesterfield County Waste and Resource Recovery Division
Residential trash disposal and recycling services in the county are provided by private waste management companies operating in the area.
Chesterfield enforces property upkeep through Community Enhancement and the Virginia Maintenance Code (part of the USBC). Under Virginia's spot-blight law, the county can order repairs, place a lien for costs, and, for true blight, acquire or clear the property.
VA Code § 36-49.1:1
The locality shall have a lien on all property so repaired or acquired... to recover the cost of (i) improvements made... to bring the blighted property into compliance with applicable building codes and (ii) disposal.
Owners of vacant and unoccupied lots must keep grass, weeds, and growth cut and clear of trash. Chesterfield's weed ordinance sets an 18-inch limit at unoccupied properties, and the county can cut overgrowth and charge the owner if ignored.
VA Code § 15.2-901
[The locality may] have such trash, garbage, refuse, litter... removed by its own agents or employees, in which event the cost or expenses thereof shall be chargeable to and paid by the owners of such property and may be collected by the locality as taxes are collected.
Garage and yard sales are allowed at homes as an occasional temporary use under the Chesterfield County Zoning Ordinance (§ 19.2-32-23, Garage or Yard Sales). Signs may not be placed in the public right-of-way, where the county actively removes illegal portable signs.
Chesterfield's weed ordinance requires grass and weeds to be kept under 12 inches at occupied dwellings and 18 inches at unoccupied ones. Ignore a written notice and the county cuts it, billing you the cost plus a $35 fee.
VA Code § 15.2-1215
[Counties may require owners to cut grass or lawn area] when growth on such grass or lawn area exceeds 12 inches in height... Violation of such ordinance may be punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed $100.
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